Door latch



June 17, 1924. 1,497,947

P. A. SCHWAB DOOR LATCH Filed July 5, 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

INVENTOQR BY /K% ATTORNEY June 17, 1924. 1,497,947

P. A. SCHWAB DOOR LATCH Filed July 5, 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z i 2 I as 17 A TTOHWEY June 17, 1924. 1,497,947

P. A. SCHWAB DOOR LATCH Filed July 5, 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 A TTORNEYPatented June 17, 1924.

UNITED STATES PETER A. SCHWAB,

noon.

Application filed July 3,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER A. SoHwAB, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of New York city, in the county of New 6 York and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in DoorLatches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention involves certain improve- 10 ments over the constructionshown and broadly claimed in my prior United States Patent 1,250,522issued December 18, 1917, and includes certain features disclosed and Insaid prior United States patent I have disclosed a new form of latch inwhich the latch member is mounted to swing and at its free end presentsa cam surface which mayride over a roller retainer in closing the door,and an undercut face engaging with the roller, when the door is inclosed position at a point beyond the axis of the latter, and in such aWay that it efi'ectively resists any attempt to open the door withoutfirst manually operating the latch. The strain tending to force the dooropen, only causes the undercut face of the latch to more firmly grip theroller and prevent the opening of the door.

Among the objects of my present invention are ,to permit the more easyclosing of the door without manual operation of the latch, to render theparts more rigid, strong,

and positive in their operation, to permit of -verse grooved channel orrecess within the operation of the latch by either a rota: table orswinging handle, to simplify and improve the construction of the latchmember and the attachment of the operating member thereto, to simplifyand improve the roller retaining, supporting, and adjust: ing means, andto provide an improved means for automatically moving the latch intooperative position when the door is closed. My improved construction,which may assume various different forms, also embodies all of thevarious advantages set forth in my prior patents above referred to.

In the accompanying drawings: 7

Figure 1 is a face view of the latch removed from the door and certainparts being broken away.

Figure 2 is top plan or edge view of the construction shown in Figure 1,and in op- PATENT OFFICE.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LATCH.

1919. Serial No. 808,558.

Figure 8. claimed in my Canadian Patent 187,505' 15 filed July 8, 1918and issued November 19,

Figure 8 is a section on the line 88 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a section on the line 99 of Figure 8. i

Figure 10 is a face view of the retainer shown in Figures 7 and 8.

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 7, but showing a further modifiedform.

Figure 12 is an inside face view of the (ciloor part of the retainer,detached from the cor.

Figure 13 is an edge view of the parts shown in Figure 12, and

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the retainer shown in Figure 11.

In the specific form illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, a portionof a door 10 and a door casing or automobile body are illustratedsomewhat diagrammatically. The materials and details of construction ofsuch door and casing are unimportant so far as the present invention isconcerned. The door casing is provided with a transwhich is set a latchretainer shown particularly in Figures'4, 5, and 6. This includes ametal plate 12 preferably countersunk into the wood or body of thecasing 11 and secured in any suitable manner, as for instance, by a pairof screws 13. Secured to this base plate 12 is a second plate 14 havingits edges turned up to form lugs 15 and constitutin a roller carrier.The lu constitute ournals or supportsfor a. pin upon which-is mounted ahollow roller 16 of such length .that it is held against longitudinalmovement by the flanges 15, 15. The roller retainer is so connected tothe base plate thatthe roller extends in a verti cal position and may beadjusted horizontally toward and from the surface of the door or casingwall. As shown, the plate 14 110 has a slot through which extends aretaining screw 17 threaded into an openmg mthe base plate. By looseningthe screw, the

'roller may be adjusted to bring it to the such an angle that the doorlatch engages with the outer surface thereof and rides along itapproximately to the upper or outer surface of the roller. This plate isshown as having side flanges resting uponthe plate 14 and positionedbetween the two roller supporting lugs 15 and held in place by asuitable screw. This strike plate .-not

t to the th only guides the latch over the .roller in closing the doorbut also serves to conceal the ad usting screw 17.

Rigidly secured to the door is a plate 20 formed integral with a' flangeor second plate 21, lying parallel with the plane of the door. This lastmentioned: plate or flange preferably lies flush with the inner surfaceof the door while the .plate portion 20 lies exposed along the edge ofthe door and may be of a width substantially equal ickness of the door.The wood of the door is partially cut away along the inner surface ofthe plates 20 and 21 to form a chamber or recess to receive theoperating parts. The'outer surface of the door, if the latter be builtup of wood, may have a sheet metal covering but such has not beenillustrated, as it forms no portion of my invention. The plate 20 has apair of lugs 22 which may be formed integral therewith if the plate 20be of cast, metal or struck up therefrom if the plate be of wroughtmetal. If desired. the said lugs might be separate and rigidly securedin any suitable manner. These lugs serve as journals or supports for avertically extending pivot pin 24 upon which the latch 25 is mounted.The latch member extends substantially horizontally in the generaldirection of the thickness of thedoor and has its free end it is formedas a V or mounted to. swing through an aperture in the wall 21. Thelatch itself has an outer or plate 20 adjacent to the flange or side camsurface 26 and an inner or undercut surface 27 intersecting'in a roundededge. The curvature of the undercut side of the latch may exactlycorrespond to the curva-.

ture of the. roller 16, although preferably curved on a smaller arcthanthat of the roller so that .when

" the latch is in position on the roller, the

latter will engage with the undercut surface 27 adjacent to the edge ofthe latter and at a point 28 spaced a considerable distance therefrom,so that an endwise pull- .ing on the latch tends to draw the roller intoclosed position and. firmly and effectively retains the same. Anytendency of the door to open or any direct pull or pressure on thelatter comes substantially in the general direction of the length of thelatch and as the edge of the latter has gone behind and beneath thecenter of the roller, the door will hold the more firmly as pressure isapplied I to force it open.

To lighten the weight of the latch and facilitate the boring of anaperture for the pivot pin 24, the pivoted end of the latch may beformed of two spaced lugs 29.

For mechanically and positively withdrawing the latch when it is desiredto open the door, I provide a link or bar 32 lying substantiallyhorizontally adjacent to the flange or side wall 21 and having one endpivoted in a recess in the head of the latch as shown-particularly inFigure 3. I have shown'a rotatable handle and also a swing.- ing leverfor pulling back on this link or bar to release the latch. Both of thesemay be employed or either one may be omitted without effecting theoperation of the other. I have shown the side wall 21 as provided vwitha bracket plate 33 but having its body portion spaced from but rigidlysecured to the plate 21 and one end portion secured to the plate 20.Between the bracket plate 33 and the side wall 21 and journalled forrotation in the two but held against longitudinal movement by both is acollar 34 preferably having a square aperture to receive the shaft orrod 35 projecting horizontally through the door and having anysuitableform of knob or handle 36 on its outer end. The collar carriesan upwardly extending pawl or arm 37 adjacent to and parallel with theplate 20 and adapted to engage with the lug or extension 39 formedintegral with the link or rod 32, and guided between the bracket plate33 and the plate 21.

Pivoted to the plate 21 adjacent to its.

arm 38 may extend upwardly to a point above the upper edge, of the doorso that the door may be conveniently opened from the inside while thehandle 36 will ordinarily be used in opening the door from the outside,particularly if the car be a closed one. The latch may be withdrawn byeither the knob or the lever independently of the other, and if desired,either may be-omitted without effecting the operation of the other anddepending upon the construction of the door to which the device is to beapplied. For an open touring car, the outside handle 36 would ordinarilybe omitted although it might be placedon the inside instead -of theoutside of the door and the lever 38 omitted.

For holding the latch=in operative position, and for preventing rattlingof the parts, suitable springs are-preferably employed. I have shown aspiral spring mounted on a stud 31 on the plate 21 and a with its freeend engaging a bar 32 or a base portion of the lug 29 on the latter soas to normally shift the bar 32 to the left from the position shown insolid lines in Figure 1 and hold the latch in operative position.

In addition to this spring, I may if desired, provide a second spring 41having one end also secured to the plate 21 and the other end engagingwith the lever 38 so asto normally hlold it against the stop 33 andprevent ratt in V arious changes in the details of construe tion and thearrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of myinvention. On sheet 2 I have shown a somewhat modified form, althoughoperating on the same general principle. I have, so far as possible,employed the same refer ence numerals with the prime, although it doesnot appear to be necessary to'fnlly describe the details of constructionof this form. It will be noted that'the base plate 12 is secured inposition by four screws 13" instead of only two, and that the strikerplate 18"rests upon'one of the two adjusting screws 17 The plate 20 ismade of materially less width than the thickness of the door and carriesa flange 22, the edges of which are turned in to form the lugs 23 whichcarry the pivot of the latch. To hold the latch in operative position, Imount the spring 30 directly on the pivot pin 24 between the two lugs 29and form said lugs 23 with inturned ends 31', to retain the ends pivotpin 24 for the latch 25*.

of the spring; I have shown the operating lever 38 and the lug or lever37 which is operated by the rotatable handle as spaced apart at onepoint along their lengths and receiving the link or bar therebetween.The end of the said link or bar has a head 39 with which either of thelevers 37 or 38' may engage. I have also shown the lever 38' mounteddirectly on the collar 34 so that thetwo members 37 and 38 swing aboutthe same center or axis. If it is desired to employ the rotatablehandle, these two members 37 and 38 may be formed in-,

tcg'ral or may be rigidly secured together. I have shown the plate 21 asprovided with a guide 40 for limiting the movement of the levers .37 and38 and having one end constituting a stop against which the spring 41'may hold the parts against rattling. I'have shown two, of these springs41' encircling a pin 42 and each having one end engaging a stop 43 andthe other the corresponding operating lever. There are other minordifferences, the character of which will undoubtedly be apparent from aninspection of'the drawings.

In Figures 1.1 to 14 inclusive I have shown a modified form operatingonthe same general principle but differing in many features ofconstruction. The latch member is mounted to swing in a planesubstantially parallel to the edge of the door rather than about a pivotparallel to said edge and the roller retainer is mounted to project atan angle to the edge of the door casing rather than'lying parallel tothe latter.

In the specific construction illustrated on Sheet 3, I employ a rollerretainer 27 mounted on a pivoted pin projecting out substantially atright angles from a supporting plate 14*. This plate may have a flange15 at one edge thereofwhich may serve as a stop to limit the closingmovement of the door and said flange may have an extension or tongue 15for holding the outer end of the roller pivot. The plate 14? may besecured directly to the door casing 11 by wood screws 'or in any othersuitable manner, or if it'is desired to adjust the same, the plate 14may have adjustable connections to a base plate as shown in Figure 1.Ordinarily such adjust nent is not necessary as the flange 15 is at adefinite predetermined distance from the roller and forms a fixed stopfor the door. Secured to the door 10 is a face plate 2O having a flangeor side wall 21* on one side and a separate-parallel side flange 22 onthe opposite edge. This flange 22 has an extension 23 substantiallyparallel to the plate 20 and betweenthe two is mounted a The latter ismounted to swingin a substantially vertical plane and normally ezgtendsin a direction transverse to the thickness of the door. Above the pivotpin 24 may be a spring 30' The plate 20 has a slot 50 extending inwardlyfrom-the edge thereof bearing flange 21 and said flange has acorresponding slot,

v these slots bein of such length and width as to permit t e entry ofothe roller 27 a through the slot in the general direction of the lengthof the latch so that as it engages the outer curved cam surface of thelatch, it

' will lift the latch against the actionof the spring 30 until the edgeof the latch passes over'the roller and the latter is gripped andretained against the undercut surface of the roller, as will be readilyunderstood from the Fprevious description of the form shown in igure 1.

For raising the latch, any suitable operating mechanism may bevemployed. A

simple form is a bell-crank lever 38 mounted on a pivot pin 84 on theside wall 21. The lower substantially horizontal leg of the lever mayhave a laterally extending apertured flange 52 receiving the upper endof a link 32, the lower end of which is pivoted to the free end of thelatch and the upper end of which is provided with a head 39. Fornormally holding the lever in predetermined position, a spring 41 maybemounted on a .pin 42* and have one end engaging with the stop on thelever and the other end with the stop on the side wall 21. This lastmentioned stop may be so positioned as to co-operate with a second stop40" and limit the swinging movement of the lever. In case it is desiredto operate the latch shown in Sheet 3. by a knob, it will be evidentthat I may combine with the lever shown a knob operated mechanismsomewhat similar to the with the shape -of latch illustrated, suchreparts 34 and 37 inclusive of Sheet 1. t

It will be noted that in this form, the latch does not at anytimeproject beyond the door but merely swings into or out of o erativeposition in respect to the slot 50 w 'ch receives the retainer rolle Inall of the forms illustrated in the accompanying draw'in s, the latchretainer is in the form of a rol er free to rotate as the latch engagestherewith. This is important in that it acts to very materially reducethe friction and facilitate the operation of the parts, but so far asthe-mechanical construc tion or operation of the latch is concerned, itmight co-operate with a retainer in the form of a non rotatable rod orother member presenting a suitable retaining surface.

taining surface would preferably be a curved one. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as' new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: i

1. In combination, a plate adapted to be secured to one surface of adoor and having a plate portion integral therewith adapted to extendalong the edge of the door, a latch pivotally secured to said secandmentioned plate, a link slidably mounted upon said first mentioned plateand se cured to said latch, and a rotatable handle and a swinging handlehaving independent operative engagement with said link for withdrawingsald latch.

2. In combination, a plate adapted to be secured to one side of a doorand having a second plate. portion at an angle thereto .and adapted toextend along the edge of a door, said plate portion having an aperture'therethrough, a latch member pivoted to said plateportion at one sideof said aperture and having a portion movable through the latter, a linkslidable along-the inner surface of said first mentioned plate andhaving one end pivotally connected to said latch, and having a pair oflugs or projections thereon,,a rotatable member carried by said firstmentioned plate for engaging with one of said lugs to withdrawthe latch,and a swinging member pivotally mounted on said first mentioned platefor engaging with the other lug for independently withdrawing the latch.

.3. In combination, a plate adapted to be secured to a door, a latchpivoted thereto, a' link connected to said latch, a pair of lever, armsfor independent-engagement with'said link to withdraw the latter andsaid latch, a rotatable member for swinging one of said lever arms and ahandle connected to said rotatable member, the other of said lever armsvprojecting vertically through the" upper edge of the door and serving asa handle,

4. A latch casing, having a face plate, spaced lugs at one edge thereof,a pivot pin supported by said lugs, a latch having spaced In S mountedon said pivot pin adjacent to said first mentioned lugs, and a. coilspring on said pivot pin intermediate of the lugs of the latch andhaving a portion engaging with the body of the latch and a por tionmoved laterally and caught beneath aportion of one of said firstmentioned lugs.

' Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of New 2dday of July A. 1919.

I TER AuSCHWAB.

York this

